


The Thing Is, You Don't Have To

by emphasisonem



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, pre-WWII
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 03:17:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8187499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emphasisonem/pseuds/emphasisonem
Summary: Steve can’t say no to Bucky, never could.
  In which Bucky does his best to be there for Steve after his mother's death.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea's been kickin' around in my head for a bit, and I figured that I should probably just get it out of my system. Shamelessly fluffy, as always. Hope you enjoy it!

Steve’d had every intention of making himself a cup of tea and sketching when he got back from the cemetery, just letting himself drift in the quiet of the apartment. Of course, Bucky’s standing on the sidewalk outside when he gets home, following him upstairs with talk of putting the couch cushions on the floor like when they were kids. Of course his friend is here trying to make him feel better with a pillow fort and half-hearted teasing.

So, Steve gives, just like he always does when Bucky places a hand on his shoulder, gripping tight and giving him that well-meaning look of concern. Steve can’t say no to Bucky, never could.

Which is how he finds himself wrapped in a blanket, sitting on couch cushions on the floor as Bucky pulls the chairs from the kitchen into the living room.

“Really, Buck, we could just-” Steve begins, but Bucky interrupts him with a smile.

“Nah, nah, nah,” Bucky shakes his head as he picks up an old sheet and begins draping it across the backs of the chairs. “I said like when we were kids, and we’re doin’ this right, Rogers.”

Steve exhales a laugh, tilting his head back and sighing as he watches Bucky work, his sleeves rolled up so that Steve can see the flex of the muscles in his forearms as he shakes a couple of sheets out over the chairs. Steve’s not supposed to notice that, he’s not supposed to want those arms wrapping around him, and he’s done a halfway decent job throughout his life of convincing himself that he doesn’t.

Bucky’s grinning as he clambers inside the makeshift fort, his features soft and handsome in the dim sunlight filtering through the thin, white sheets. His brown hair, so neat and tidy when he’d first arrived, is a mess from running his fingers through it, and Steve aches to reach out and brush it back, to feel those soft strands against his skin.

“See,” Bucky smiles, and Steve can’t help but return the grin, laughing softly as his friend settles in beside him, back against the sofa. “Told ya it’d be fun.”

“Yeah,” Steve replies, voice soft. He tries not to focus on the brunet’s proximity, the way the sharp, musky smell of his cologne permeates the air around them.

“Do you remember-” Bucky begins with a smirk. “The first time we made a fort like this?”

“You used ma’s good sheets,” Steve chuckles. “The one’s meant for comp’ny. Thought she might murder ya for that.”

“I did too,” Bucky laughs, his shoulder bumping against Steve’s as he shifts. “They were the prettiest sheets, though. Just laughed at me and ruffled my hair when I told her that and apologized. Your ma was really the sweetest.”

“She was,” Steve’s voice cracks on ‘was’ because it’s not fair his mother’s in the past tense now, not fair that he’s without the woman who fought tooth and nail to keep him alive through all of his ailments, through sweltering summers and frigid winters, through illness after debilitating illness. It’s not fair, and Steve can’t help the small sob that hitches in his throat or the tears that begin to fall from his eyes.

“Hey,” Bucky grabs Steve’s arm as he tries to clamber out of the fort and pulls him back, wrapping an arm around his scrawny shoulders. “It’s okay, Stevie. It’s okay to miss her. I got ya, pal.”

Steve lets Bucky pull him back against his firm chest, lets the other man hold him as he cries for his mother, lets the brunet card gentle fingers through his hair and whisper that everything’s going to be all right and that’s it’s okay to cry for Sarah Rogers.

Steve’s breath catches in his throat for a different reason as Bucky wipes the tears from his face, thumbs tracing gentle circles along his cheekbones as he smiles sadly at his best friend. And without thinking, Steve leans forward and presses his lips to Bucky’s.

The second he realizes what he’s done, Steve jerks back, stuttering a half-formed apology, but before he can say much at all, Bucky’s hauling him back, his mouth hungry and insistent against Steve’s own.

Bucky’s lips are softer than Steve had imagined they’d be, his tongue wet and warm as it begins to explore the cavern of Steve’s mouth. Steve shudders as that skilled tongue runs along the roof of his mouth, his hands reaching out to grip Bucky’s shoulders tight.

Steve’s not sure how long they’ve been kissing when they break for air, but Bucky’s lips are reddened and swollen, his steely eyes dazed as he gazes down at Steve. Steve’s chest is heaving with each breath, his head spinning as he tries to process what’s just happened between them.

“ _Buck_ ,” Steve breathes, afraid that if he speaks above a whisper this moment will come crashing down around them, shattering like glass. “You’re not… _Are_ you?”

“I don’t know,” Bucky whispers, trailing soft fingers down the side of Steve’s face, his hand coming to a stop where the blond’s head meets his neck, cupping it gently. “I don’t know, Steve. All I know is I liked that and I’ve wanted to know what it would be like to kiss you for a while now.”

“Oh,” Steve replies, fingers tightening on Bucky’s shoulder as the brunet pulls him into his lap. “I- I didn’t know you wanted that, Buck.”

“Do you?” Bucky asks, eyes wide and vulnerable, and it breaks Steve’s heart a little bit to see his friend stripped of all his usual bravado, his confidence a distant memory in this moment. “Want that? Want me?”

“Yeah, Buck,” Steve reaches up and tangles his hands in Bucky’s hair, and Jesus, it’s so _soft_. “I do.”

“Is it ok if I kiss you again?” Bucky asks, winding his arms around Steve’s slender waist and tugging him closer.

“Yeah, I think so,” Steve whispers, a small smile on his lips, and then Bucky’s surging forward and claiming Steve’s mouth with his own.

Steve can’t say no to Bucky, never could.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](http://emphasisonem.tumblr.com)


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